At long last we've had some scintillating growth. Spring has sprung as we go rollercoaster-style into British summertime. The sap-rising energy rumbling through my veins is almost overbearingly powerful - like being on the rumbling summit of Mount Etna in the early 1980s.

By far the most seductive plant in the World Garden at Lullingstone Castle this month is the crown imperial lily – also known as tears of Mary. In its native habitat, this glorious fritillary often hangs onto dear life, bursting out of cliffs, rocky slopes and scrub, from 1,000 – 3,000m. It's mainly indigenous to southeast Turkey and western Iran. I have both the yellow and deep orange varieties, but it's the latter that really kicks my horticultural spotted socks sideways. The crown imperial lily has been cultivated in the UK since the sixteenth century and was one of the earliest bulbs to be grown in British gardens.

This aristocrat reaches almost 4ft tall at Lullingstone. The lance-shaped, glossy leaves appear at intervals along the stem with a prominent whorl of downward-facing orange flowers at the top of the stem, topped by a pineapple-style crown of small leaves – hence the common name of crown imperial. The other common name, tears of Mary, refers to the great drops of nectar at the base of each petal – Christian tradition tells that of all the flowers, only the proud crown imperial refused to bow its head at the crucifixion – it has bowed and wept ever since. The flowers emit a distinctly foxy smell that's reputed to repel mice and moles - but I can't vouch for this.

On the husbandry front, Fritillaria imperialis is easy to grow – in a well-drained, pretty rich substrate in full sun or in the shade of deciduous trees or shrubs. It's not bad in containers, but best in the open ground. Be on your guard for lily beetle, which can ravage this fritillaria - I delight in plucking these devils from the foliage and exuding their orange blood!

• Tom Hart Dyke is a plant hunter, plantsman and heir to Lullingstone Castle in Kent, where he built and curates the World Garden of Plants.

Forest trough planter competitionCongratulations to Samantha Hardy of Newark and John Williscroft of Thame who were the winners in our recent competition.